John J. Eddleston - Miscarriages of justice: famous London cases

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First published in Great Britain in 2009 by

Wharncliffe Local History

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright John J Eddleston, 2009

ISBN 978 1 84563 096 6

ePub ISBN 9781844684243

PRC ISBN 9781844684250

The right of John J Eddleston to be identified as author
of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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In the twentieth century a total of 865 people were executed in the United Kingdom. In the years since the abolition of capital punishment just four of those people have received posthumous pardons: Timothy John Evans, Derek William Bentley, Mahmood Hussein Mattan and George Kelly.

It may be that the reader believes that it is acceptable that four innocent men were hanged, out of a total of 865, but when one has researched every single one of those cases, as I have, then the number who may well have been innocent appears to rise. It is my personal opinion that there was either a reasonable doubt, or obvious signs of mental instability or some other factor that indicates that there should not have been an execution, in over 100 of those cases.

Yet this only covers the cases where someone was actually put to death. If one adds other cases where the death sentence was commuted, or where a life sentence was given after capital punishment had been abolished, then the number rises even further.

This book looks at just nine cases, involving twelve people who were tried for murder. Of those twelve, nine were sentenced to death and eight actually executed. More importantly, five of those twelve have since been pardoned. And these are only cases from London; what of those from the rest of the country?

Read the stories for yourself and decide whether you would really sanction either the execution, or the imprisonment for years, of those whose stories are told in these pages.

I would like to thank my partner, Yvonne Eddleston, for her invaluable help in preparing this volume. Not only did she assist with the research but she also proof-read every story before I submitted the manuscript.

I would also wish to thank the staff of the The National Archives at Kew, who always make it a pleasure to visit. In addition, my thanks must go to the British Newspaper Library at Colindale.

Finally I would like to offer my appreciation to my publisher, Wharncliffe Books.

On Friday 27 October 1899, two ladies alighted from a train at Dalston Junction railway station. Mary Teahan was a governess, living at 46 Walpole Street, Isleworth. Her friend, Margaret Ellen Briggs, lived at Twickenham and both ladies had caught a train from Richmond in Surrey, to Dalston, so that they might attend a lecture in a schoolroom close by. The train had been due to arrive at 6.05pm but was running a little late. As a result, it was close on 6.19pm when Mary and Margaret climbed down onto Platform 3.

The two ladies walked into the ladies waiting room on that same platform and Margaret waited there whilst Mary went down the passageway which led to the water closets. There were two cubicles inside and Mary Teahan chose to enter the first, but upon trying to gain entry, she found that something behind the door was blocking her way.

The cubicle was far from well lit but in the dim light Mary saw what appeared to be a child's face but surely that could not be. No, it was most probably another lady who had fallen ill. The matter must be reported at once.

Mary left the water closets area and rejoined her friend, Margaret to whom she mentioned what she had discovered. It was then that they spotted a porter, pushing a barrow along the platform. Joseph John Standing listened closely as Mary Teahan told him that she thought there was a lady who might have fainted or fallen ill inside the first cubicle. Then, perhaps rather surprisingly, having told their story, neither lady waited on the platform. They left the station and continued on their way to their destination.

It was 6.38pm by the time Joseph Standing told Mr Cotteral, the foreman porter, what the ladies had told him. On Cotteral's instructions, Standing then took the story to the station inspector, David Bundy. It was now approximately 6.40pm.

Bundy informed Standing that he should go to the water closet and check the story for himself. Standing did as he had been instructed and entered the ladies toilets. He walked first to the second cubicle, the one farthest from the entrance and saw nothing untoward. It was then that he gently pushed open the door of the first cubicle and found that there was something on the floor behind the door.